My name is Hunter Schone. I am currently finishing the MSc Clinical Neuroscience programme at UCL.
Coming from Utah in the USA, I was keen on pursuing UCL’s masters program, due to its compact, multidisciplinary approach–highly clinical and research-based–to clinical neuroscience. The program has allowed me to gain a greater knowledge-base of clinical neuroscience and engage in independent clinical research. UCL’s Faculty of Brain Sciences takes a highly personal approach to raising high-calibre neuroscientists. My experience in the Faculty of Brain Sciences has been highly immersive and engaging. My program and the Faculty of Brain Sciences have created many educational and social opportunities for me to make friendships with neuroscientists and physicians from around the world.
Within the course, it is necessary to conduct an independent research project. My research project, under Professor Tamar Makin, has been spent working with one-handed participants researching hand-prosthesis representation in the motor cortex of the missing hand area. I am using cognitive priming tasks, hand motor control data and fMRI imaging to better understand the complex cognitive interaction between a one-handed individual and their prosthesis. This experience, under Professor Makin’s mentorship and supervision, has provided me with an incredibly diverse skillset to succeed in both medicine and research. Overall, my decision to pursue a postgraduate program at UCL has established a solid foundation for me to build a successful career as a clinical neuroscientist and physician.